NRCC ad claims Chandler sings different tunes in Ky. and D.C.

The National Republican Congressional Committee began its air attack at Democratic Congressman Ben Chandler over the weekend with an ad aimed at showing Chandler as being disingenuous.

“Ben Chandler: Big spending in Washington. False ads in Kentucky,” says the ad, which began running in the Lexington TV market on Friday.

The 30-second spot highlights a claim from Chandler’s own campaign ad in which Chandler says “if you spend more than you take in you’re going to go broke.”

The ad cites budget votes Chandler, who has represented the Central Kentucky district since 2004, has taken in which spending out-paced federal revenue and Chandler’s past votes for raising the debt limits.

While all that is fair to point out, the added context is that not raising the debt limit would have resulted in an immediate stop to federal spending. That would have included stopping paychecks to U.S. troops and turning off the spigot for federal programs, including Social Security.

Chandler faces Republican Andy Barr in a rematch of the 2010 campaign. The NRCC has put the 6th congressional district race on its top priority list.